A previously known energy absorber of simple construction for a motor vehicle steering column consists of a convex anvil on the steering column near the upper end thereof and a stationary flat metal strap having a concave web seated against the convex anvil. During linear translation of the steering column under impact, the concave web of the metal strap moves wave-like along the length of the metal strap effecting concurrent plastic deformation of the latter to convert into work a fraction of the kinetic energy of the impact.
The placement of the energy absorber near the upper end of the steering column consumes space on the vehicle in an already congested environment. Further, it is desirable from a performance standpoint that parallelism exist between the metal strap and the direction of linear translation of the steering column both before and during linear translation of the steering column under impact.
It is also known to utilize two “J” straps fixed to a yoke mounted on the motor vehicle. The straps are fixed to the yoke and wrap around two anvils connected to the steering wheel. The straps are located at the “3” and “9” positions, directly across from one another.
Such systems are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,669,639 and 5,706,704. However, differences in the straps, e.g., due to manufacturing tolerances, may result in variances in the collapse load on the absorber. Furthermore, the multi-strap design with “J” types straps located at the “3” and “9” O'clock positions (as disclosed in the '704 and '639 Patents) introduces an undesirable moment on the steering column when an off-axis load is applied to the steering column with vertical type mounting features to the vehicle body structure.
The present invention is aimed at one or more of the problems as set forth above.